The Eyes Have It With This Adorable Prewar Steiff Kitten

Looking for a little something to tickle your whiskers this fine fall day? Then check out this short but sweet note from a new friend. Jenny needs help identifying a precious pet. Could it be made by Steiff? She shares,

"I was wondering if you could help me identify an old possibly Steiff cat... It feels like wool and stuffed with wood. Thanks!"

What a pretty kitty! From the looks of him, Jenny's kitten looks to be sitting, probably head jointed, and made from wool plush, not mohair. Wool plush has a more fluid, continuous look and feel to it, while mohair tends to have more of a prickly "hooked rug" appearance where the fabric backing meets up with the surface fibers. The fact that he is "stuffed with wood" is consistent with his stuffing being made from excelsior. Other distinctive features of this example include traces of airbrushed highlighting on its body, tiny pink claws, clear monofilament whiskers on his nose and forehead, a tail that wraps gently around his backside, a pink hand embroidered nose and mouth, and piercing teal and black slit style pupil eyes. His size is noted at 6.5 inches tall, or nearly 17 cm tall. 

All of those factors help to cat-alyze his likely identification. It is possible that Jenny's kitty is a rare and well loved example of the company's seldom seen prewar sitting wool plush cat. This appealing pattern was made in 10, 14, 17, 22, and 28 cm from 1929 through 1933 overall. All of these fancy felines left the factory wearing a large silken ribbon. You can see this wool plush rarity pictured here on the left, the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. You can't help but notice the basic resemblance of this wool plush cat pattern to the company's most beloved sitting Susi cat design. She was produced prewar in 14, 17, 22 and 28 cm from 1936 through 1943, and then again postwar from 1948 through 1978 in 10, 12, 14, 17 and 22 cm. 

 

The timing of all of this is quite interesting. The cat under review today was made at a critical time point in the company's history. Germany entered a period of economic depression and widespread unemployment in 1929 while growing anti-German sentiment crippled Steiff's export markets. These realities triggered a number of fundamental product design, production, and distribution changes at Steiff. One very noteworthy revision was the increased use of substitute fabrics in manufacturing. As traditional toy making materials became more expensive and more challenging to source, the company started to look at alternative fabrics to use in place of mohair. This may explain why this cat debuted in wool plush - a less expensive and readily available fabric - exactly at this time. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of this prewar cat has added a purr-fectly pleasant paws to your day.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!

Cat Got Your Tongue Over These Fantastic Steiff Kittens?

These days, you just can't get enough of creature comforts. And nothing fits that bill better than Steiff's fantastic vintage cats. These purr-fect pets are always available to give - or get - a cuddle. Here are three tiny favorites from Steiffgal's collection. Come take a look to see what makes them so precious from the collectors' and historical perspectives.

Our first fine feline is an adorable example of Steiff's Fluffy cat. This example is 10 cm tall, sitting, and head jointed. She is made from white and blue-grey tipped mohair. Her little tail wraps sweetly around her body. Fluffy's face is detailed with oversized, deep turquoise green and black glass slit pupil eyes and a simple hand embroidered pink nose and mouth. She has managed to hold onto her her original clear monofilament whiskers over time; her blue bow and bell are replaced. Fluffy retains her metal rimmed, named chest tag as her Steiff ID. Pre-World War II, this pattern was produced in 7, 10, 14, 17, 22, 25, 30, 35, and 43 cm from 1926 through 1943 overall. After the war, she appeared briefly again in the line in 14, 17, and 22 cm through 1950. 

It's easy to see why this Fluffy has a paw up in Steiffgal's collection. Her adorable presentation matches the vibe of the mid-1920s when she was designed and debuted. She is quite fluffy, and very feminine, with soft coloring and a playful personality. Her oversized eyes are placed low upon her center-seamed face, further emphasizing her childlike innocence. Her size makes her so easy and fun to display... and her fantastic chest tag confirms that she was made in the mid-1920s, dating her at the very beginning of her production timeline.

Now let's get around to our second pretty kitty. Here we have a lovely 9 cm Steiff ball cat. Her body is a simple, round form about the size of a golf ball. Her head is about the size of a walnut and is detailed with a white inset mohair muzzle, black and green glass slit pupil eyes, and a simple, pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. Her sweet little tail wraps around her backside, much like Steiff's fully formed cats of her era. Cat's two front limbs are made from tan colored woolen pom-poms. Her clear monofilament whiskers have unfortunately been lost to time. This ball cat pattern was made from 1932 through 1943 in 9 and 15 cm. This excellent example retains her long trailing "F" button and bits of her red ear tag, dating her to the early 1930s. 

These neat novelties rolled out during a difficult period at Steiff. Starting around 1930, Steiff's product development strategy focused in part on creating a series of affordable, appealing, and small scaled products. This was a very challenging time geopolitically throughout Germany, and many consumers did not have a great deal - if any - disposable income for toys and other "non-essentials." Ball animals, given their size, simplicity, and low material and labor costs, seem to fit the bill pretty well. So the company made eight versions overall; all were based on Steiff's most popular designs of the time. These included rabbits, Teddy bears, elephants, ducks, cats, lions, a Chin-Chin dog, and a Molly the Puppy. It is interesting to note that the company's inexpensive, palm sized woolen miniature animals also debuted in the early 1930s.

And finally, you're gonna have to face the fact that this last kitten has the best facial expression - ever. Here we have an 11 cm Siamy the Siamese cat. She is sitting and head jointed. She is made from tan mohair which has been airbrushed with overall tan and chocolate brown highlights. Her ears are made from light brown felt, and her muzzle is made from brown velvet. Her sweet tail wraps around her little behind. Her face is detailed with striking blue and black glass pupil eyes, a tan hand embroidered nose, and an open, peach felt lined mouth. Siamy appeared in the Steiff catalog post war from 1953 through 1954 only. She was produced in 11, 15, and 23 cm during that time. This precious example retains her red imprinted chest tag, raised script button in ear, and legible yellow ear tag as her Steiff IDs.

Despite their relatively short midcentury appearance, Siamy cats have been noted with numerous subtle differences in their detailing. In all three sizes, some have open mouths while some have closed mouths. Some have pink noses; others have light or dark brown noses. And their coloring also varies dramatically; some are mostly medium to dark brown, while others have just a touch of color contrast. Given this variety, it is easy to see why this pattern is truly the cat's meow and how it has remained a collector's favorite more than a half-century after its production ended. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on some of her favorite Steiff kittens has added a little meow mix to your day.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!

Jumping For Joy Over This Early Steiff Rabbit With A Secret

Most collectors are all ears to learn more about a new Steiff find. So this one should get your nose twitching for sure! Check out this recent find from the recent London International Antique Doll, Teddy Bear, and Toy Fair. He's one hoppy handful indeed!

There's not a hare out of place with this sweet baby bunny. He measures 8 cm tall by 15 cm long. He is sitting, unjointed, and made from a soft white plush material called lamb's wool plush. This material has a short but "lumpy-bumpy" surface to it, like a real lamb. His ears are lined in pink velvet. His face comes to life with red felt backed black button eyes and a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. He retains a few of his original clear mono filament whiskers. His red ribbon is perfect for him but not original; his original accessories included a light blue ribbon and a little bell. Rabbit retains his original long trailing 'f" button as his Steiff ID. He was produced in 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1901-1924 overall.

Does this little guy have a familiar ring to him? Yes, for two reasons... one obvious, and one not so much.

The first is that his pattern is a legacy and very early one for Steiff. It was produced from the late 1800's onward in felt, velvet, and this lamb's wool plush. Like many of the company's initial designs, it is somewhat primitive (in the best way possible) with simple lines and a basic form. 

The second is that this rabbit is actually also a rattle. He has a noisemaker placed within his torso; this makes a distinctly "tinkle-tinkle" sound when he is shaken about. Of course, this is music to Steiffgal's ears! Steiff sometimes produced the smallest, or almost smallest, versions of popular items from the first quarter of the 20th century as rattles. Steiffgal has handled rattle bears, squirrels, dogs, cats, and now this rabbit - all discovered by serendipity! As far as Steiffgal knows, there is no reference book that lists what Steiff animals were made as rattles. So always gently shake a small, early Steiff find - you just might find it holds a playful secret!  The picture on the left is from Pfeiffer's Sortiment 1892-1943 and shows what this fun bun looked like when he left the factory in Germany a century or so ago. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this early rattle rabbit has you jumping for joy.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.